The Xiamen Area of China (Fujian) Pilot Free Trade Zone, or Xiamen FTZ – located in the port city of Xiamen in East China's Fujian province – has become an important window for innovative business environment pilot projects over the past eight years.
Many resident firms have benefited from it, including Xiamen Ocean Gate Container Terminal Co Ltd.
According to Wu Zhaoyang, its business director, relying on the high-quality service functions of the Xiamen FTZ and the city's superior maritime policies, the throughput of the company's imposing port terminal has grown nearly three times over the past eight years.
In fact, its terminal has become the Haicang bonded port area's automobile whole-vehicle port platform, expanding from the original single container-handling dock.
In the process, it's moved into whole-vehicle imports, whole-vehicle exports and into the container disassembly and assembly business. With the advantage of its synergies between domestic and foreign trade, the terminal has refined the bonded conversion business from a centralized to a decentralized operation.
By relying on the construction of the supply chain platform and dedicated railway lines, plans are for it to further improve its operational management and overall service capabilities.
Since the trial operation of the automobile whole-vehicle port platform at the end of December 2017, cumulative imports of 1,000 whole vehicles were achieved in October 2018 and the monthly arrival of over 1,000 vehicles was achieved in June 2020, taking only took two and a half years.
The company's Wu Zhaoyang said this could not have been achieved without the joint efforts of the Xiamen FTZ management committee, the Haicang port customs office, the terminal, vehicle dealers and logistics customs declaration companies.
Wu added that the Xiamen FTZ had world-class deep water container port facilities and support infrastructure and noted that it was also the core functional area for the southeast international shipping center.
The group's terminal will be tasked with further developing maritime logistics and port import and export industries, attracting industry clusters and enhancing the advantages of the port area.
A busy terminal at Xiamen port. [Photo/Xiamen Daily]